Head of China’s top court orders crackdown on ‘abhorrent’ crimes amid public outcry over attack on women in Tangshan
- Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People’s Court, tells a conference of judges that violence against women, children and elderly must be severely punished
- Last month’s assault on a group of diners in a restaurant sparked widespread public anger and triggered concerns about women’s safety
“[We] must severely punish according to the law crimes that the people abhor. Cruel assaults against women, children and the elderly that challenge the bottom line of the law and morals must be punished with the utmost severity,” Zhou Qiang, president of the Supreme People’s Court, told a conference of senior judges on Saturday.
Laying out a work plan for the second half of the year, Zhou demanded the judges target organised crime, murders, robberies, and crimes that involved guns and explosives. He also asked judges to step up a crackdown on frauds and scams targeting the elderly.
The order follows last month’s assault on a group of women in a restaurant in the northern city of Tangshan that caused widespread shock and anger.
Surveillance footage showed the women being dragged by their hair, slapped to the ground and kicked after one of the diners turned down a man’s advances.
Nine people have been detained over the assault, which left two of the women seriously injured.
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9 arrested over fierce attack on women in Tangshan